The St. Louis Cardinals pushed the San Francisco Giants into extra innings on Wednesday, but the comeback still ended with a loss, leaving them at 75-78 and on the edge of elimination.
With nine games remaining on the 2026 schedule, St. Louis still has the Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers ahead. The Cardinals are 8 1/2 games behind the final wild card spot, which is held by the San Diego Padres.
San Diego’s 9-3 win over the Colorado Rockies tightened the noose even more. At this point, St. Louis will be out of postseason contention with either a Padres win or a Cardinals loss.
For Cardinals fans, that outcome was always the most likely one. The roster overhaul last offseason was built around a rebuild, not a push for October. The real surprise is that the club made it this deep into September before the season finally slipped away.
That doesn’t make 2026 a wasted year, though. St.
Louis stayed above .500 until late July, and even after becoming sellers at the trade deadline, the club came away with several useful pieces in return. For a team that was never projected to make the playoffs, hanging around this long says plenty about the progress made across the roster.
The biggest bright spots have come from the younger group. Jordan Walker and JJ Wetherholt both took steps forward, while Ivan Herrera endured a difficult year at the plate after earning an All-Star nod on the strength of his first half.
That gives the Cardinals a clearer picture of who belongs in the long-term core, and it sets them up for another important offseason. There’s more optimism in St. Louis than there has been in a while, even if the club still looks a few years away from real contention.
For now, though, the Cardinals are staring at a fourth straight year without a playoff berth. Maybe 2027 brings a different result, but this season’s window is just about closed.
In Other News...
Cardinals Face A Real Decision On Jurrangelo Cijntjes MLB Debut
Jurrangelo Cijntje has forced his way into the conversation with the kind of Triple-A run that usually changes a teams thinking. Over his last seven starts, the Cardinals pitching prospect has posted a 2.86 ERA and piled up 41 strikeouts, production that has him near the top of the minor league leaderboard and squarely in view as a possible part of St. Louis future rotation.
For the Cardinals, the question is no longer just whether Cijntje is ready in the abstract, but whether it makes sense to bring him to the majors before the season ends. A late promotion could give the club a first look at where he stands, but it also comes with the usual roster and eligibility complications that can shape how aggressively a team handles a pitcher who may already be knocking on the door. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Final Home Series Just Became A Rotation Audition
The Cardinals are heading into their final home series with little left to play for in the wild card race after dropping a series to the Giants, but there is still plenty at stake for the organization as the season winds down. With Washington coming to Busch Stadium and road trips to Pittsburgh and Milwaukee still on the schedule, the last stretch has shifted from playoff pursuit to a closer look at who might help shape the staff beyond this year.
That is why the upcoming rotation lines matter so much. Kyle Leahy, Cooper Hjerpe, Michael McGreevy and Quinn Mathews are among the probable starters being lined up for the series, giving St. Louis a chance to evaluate different arms in meaningful September innings. For a club that is close to being eliminated, these starts can carry more weight than the standings now do, because the Cardinals still need answers on who can handle bigger roles moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Nearing Elimination With One Late-Season Roster Question Looming
With the Cardinals close to elimination from playoff contention in 2026, the final stretch is shifting from chase mode to evaluation mode. One obvious place to look is Triple-A Memphis, where St. Louis has a few players who have at least put themselves into the conversation for a late-season look. Ledbetter has continued to make a case with his production, while Cijntje and Svanson have each given the organization more to think about as the big league club starts sorting out what matters most down the stretch.
For a team staring at an abbreviated finish, those decisions are about more than filling innings or covering absences. They are a chance to see whether some of those Memphis players can help answer questions that linger beyond this season, especially if the roster is going to need some fresh options in the final games. The Cardinals do not have much time left to make those calls, which is why the next wave of transactions could tell a lot about how they plan to approach the closing days. [Read more 🡒]